This proposal describes a three-year training program for the development of an academic career in reproductive biology. The principal investigator has completed the Veterinary Medical Scientist Training Program and received a V.M.D. and Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Pennsylvania. She has initiated postdoctoral training in reproductive biology in conjunction with residency training in Large Animal Reproduction at the School of Veterinary Medicine. The proposed training will expand her scientific and clinical skills through a unique integration of interdepartmental resources. This program will expand the candidate's research skills in molecular biology and cell imaging techniques and will promote her expertise in reproductive biology. The inclusion of clinical training in large animal reproduction will prepare the candidate to extend those basic research skills to address clinical questions of relevance to both animals and humans. Ina Dobrinski, Dr. vet. Med., Ph.D., will mentor the principal investigator's scientific and clinical development. Dr. Dobrinski is uniquely qualified to mentor this program since she is both a board-certified theriogenologist and an expert in the fields of spermatogenesis and sperm-oviductal epithelium interactions. She is an assistant professor of large animal reproduction at the School of Veterinary Medicine. The program will also enlist the expertise of Hans Sch[unreadable]ler, Ph.D., who is a leader in the field of stem cell biology, and an advisory committee. The research project will focus on the molecular pathways regulating a sperm maturational event required for mammalian fertilization, capacitation, and the influences of the female reproductive tract on these pathways. The specific aims are: 1) To examine the effects of bovine oviductal epithelial apical membrane vesicles and oviductal fluid on sperm viability and capacitation and to evaluate the effects of these components on signaling events leading to capacitation, and 2) To explore the significance of tyrosine phosphorylation of bovine sperm proteins during capacitation. As one of the few institutions in the country to harbor both medical and veterinary schools along with a stimulating research environment, the University of Pennsylvania provides an ideal and unique setting for training a veterinary physician scientist, allowing the principal investigator to establish a well-grounded scientific and clinical niche from which an academic career can be constructed.